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The dependence of tensile properties on the length scale of the dendritic morphology of Al–Cu, Al–Ag and Al–Ag–Cu alloys is experimentally investigated. These alloys were directionally solidified (DS) under a wide range of cooling rates [Formula: see text], permitting extensive microstructural scales to be examined. Experimental growth laws are proposed relating the primary dendritic arm spacing, [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] and tensile properties to [Formula: see text]. It is shown that the most significant effect of the scale of [Formula: see text] on the tensile properties is that of the ternary alloy, which is attributed to the more homogeneous distribution of the eutectic mixture for smaller [Formula: see text] and by the combined reinforcement roles of the intermetallics present in the ternary eutectic: Al2Cu and nonequilibrium Ag3Al.